The Census asks questions about language use at home to locate groups of people who speak a language other than English. Their isolation or integration into a primarily English speaking community can be determined by their ability to speak English proficiently.
| Language Spoken at Home, 1990-2000 | ||||
| 1990 | 2000 | |||
| Number | Percent | Number | Percent | |
| Only English | 13,493 | 96.99% | 16,797 | 96.71% |
| Spanish | 86 | 0.62% | 125 | 0.72% |
| Other Indo-European* | 224 | 1.61% | 258 | 1.49% |
| Asian Language** | 14 | 0.10% | 67 | 0.39% |
| Other | 95 | 0.68% | 121 | 0.70% |
| Total Population Age 5+ | 13,912 | 100.00% | 17,368 | 100.00% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 2000 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 42 | 33.60% |
| Other Indo-European* | 53 | 20.54% |
| Asian Language** | 18 | 26.87% |
| Other Language | 26 | 21.49% |
| Total | 139 | 0.80% |
| Population Speaking English Less Than "Very Well" in 1990 | ||
| Language Spoken at Home: | Number | Percent |
| Spanish | 20 | 23.26% |
| Other Indo-European* | 104 | 46.43% |
| Asian Language** | 9 | 64.29% |
| Other Language | 27 | 28.42% |
| Total | 160 | 1.15% |
* "Other Indo-European" excludes English and Spanish. "Indo-European" is not synonymous with "European." French, German, Hindi, and Persian are all classified as Indo-European. Hungarian, on the other hand, is lumped into "Other Language."
** "Asian Language" includes languages indigenous to Asia and Pacific islands areas that are not also Indo-European languages. Chinese, Japanese, Telugu, and Hawaiian are all classified here.
Also note that ability to speak English "very well" is based on the self-assessment of those responding to Census questions, not on a test of language ability.
Source: Census 2000 analyzed by the Social Science Data Analysis Network (SSDAN).
Home | About | Help | Contact | Use Policy